Sudan’s Government Faces Challenges of Transition

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Reuters file photo
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Reuters file photo
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Sudan’s Government Faces Challenges of Transition

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Reuters file photo
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Reuters file photo

Sudanese observers and politicians link the sudden and sharp decline in the exchange rate of the Sudanese pound to intelligence agency officers attempting mutiny and protests held by the supporters of Omar al-Bashir’s former regime.

The dollar was selling for 100 Sudanese pounds in cash transactions on Monday compared with 88 pounds a week ago, as the gap with the official rate of 45 to the dollar continues to widen.

Observers and analysts believe that the defectors and protesters are part of an evil Muslim Brotherhood plan that seeks to destabilize security and provoke sedition.

Information Minister Faisal Saleh said that although the mutiny is regrettable, it was not surprising.

Firefights rocked Sudan’s capital on January 14, as members of the General Intelligence Service mutinied against the government.

The rebellion prompted the closure of Khartoum’s airport and raised fears about a coup that could overturn the democratic progress the country has made since a revolution overthrew Bashir last year.

These developments triggered a flurry of speculation about the motives of the mutineers.

Sudan is negotiating a perilous political transition, in which civilians representing the opposition to Bashir share power with representatives of the military junta that overthrew him.

Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan currently heads the Sovereign Council, Sudan’s transitional governance body, pending national elections that are expected to take place in late 2022.

The Sudanese transitional government, headed by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, faces many challenges among which are achieving peace, stopping war, providing security and stability, rebuilding the economy, and ending the living hardships.

Hamdok, in an interview broadcast on state television on Tuesday, said that his government had plans and programs to address crises facing the country.

He also pledged to provide a unique Sudanese experience for national recovery.

Speaking about the mutiny, Hamdok said it was quashed by joint work between the civil and military components of the government.

Sudan-based political analyst Khalaf Allah told Asharq Al-Awsat that the toughest challenge facing the people of Sudan post deposing one of the fiercest known dictatorships is finding the requirements for transition.

Khalaf Allah believes that the economy and peace are, at the moment, the most prominent challenges facing the transitional authority.



Houthis Launch Two Missile Towards Israel

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Houthis Launch Two Missile Towards Israel

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Israel launched an interceptor towards a second missile fired from Yemen on Friday, its military said, as the US intensifies its strikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi group.

The militant group claimed responsibility for firing two missiles thousands of kilometres north targeting Israel's Ramat David air base and the Tel Aviv area, Reuters reported.

Alarms were activated in several areas, the military added after the launch of both missiles, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.

The military said earlier on Friday it had intercepted the first missile launched from Yemen. It said the results of the interception of the second were under review.

US President Donald Trump in March ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis to reduce their capabilities and deter them from attacking ships in the Red Sea.

The deadly strikes on the group were the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January.

The Houthis say their attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping are in solidarity with the Palestinians over the war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

The group pledged to expand its range of targets in Israel in retaliation for a renewed offensive in Gaza that began two months ago.